Intervention with Families

There are many models and curriculums for working with families to promote healthy social and emotional development in young children. Other models offer a more definite approach to preventing challenging behavior. This section reviews some the most current home visiting models designed for high risk or at risk families whose children may later experience delays in these areas. It also provides research and information about the benefits of home visiting programs. Additional information on family-centered principles and practices is available on our Web site.

• Early Head Start
  With the reauthorization of the Head Start program in 1994, Congress established a new program for low-income families with infants and toddlers and pregnant women called Early Head Start (EHS). The mission of Early Head Start is to promote healthy prenatal outcomes, enhance the development of infants and toddlers, and promote healthy family functioning.
  - Supporting Families in Crisis - Training Guides for the Head Start Learning Community
  These Head Start training guides are designed for home visitors working in at risk or high risk family homes. Modules include: (1) Preventing Family crisis; (2) Addressing Family Crisis; (3) Responding to Crisis; and (4) Dealing with Potential Dangerous Situations.
• Healthy Families America
  This national program model is designed to help expectant and new parents get their children off to a healthy start. The goals are to: (1) promote positive parenting; (2) enhance child health and development; and (3) prevent child abuse and neglect. The focus is on helping parents "feel good about themselves and have confidence so that they see they have what it takes to raise their baby."
• Healthy Start
  This federally funded program offers models for the reduction of infant mortality, low birthweight and racial disparities in perinatal outcomes. It focuses on the importance of community-based approaches to solving these problems and the need to develop comprehensive, holistic interventions that include health, social and economic services.
• Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY)
  This parent involvement, school readiness program is designed to help parents prepare their three, four, and five year old children for success in school and beyond. Parents are provided with carefully developed curriculum, books and materials designed to promote their children's cognitive skills, early literacy skills, social/emotional and physical development.
• Nurse-Family Partnership
  This evidence-based nurse home visitation program is designed to improve the health, well-being and self-sufficiency of low-income, first-time parents and their children. Projected outcomes for participating communities are: (1) mothers will have healthier pregnancies; (2) child health and development will be improved; and (3) mothers will become more self-sufficient.
• Parents as Teachers
  The mission of the Parents as Teachers (PAT) program is to provide the information, support and encouragement parents need to to help their children develop optimally during the crucial early years of life. PAT works through a strong network of state leaders and partners in all 50 states.
• Parent-Child Home Program
  The Parent-Child Home Program is a research-based, research-validated early childhood literacy and school readiness program that is meant to strengthen families and prepare children for academic success through intensive home visiting. It emphasizes the importance of quality parent-child verbal interaction to promote cognitive and social-emotional development.
• Recommended Practices: Supporting Infants and Toddlers with Challenging Behavior (PDF: 135kb)
  This two page brief includes a set of recommended practices for home visitors working with families of infants and toddlers with challenging behavior.
• The Importance of Fathers in Young Children's Development
  This is a manual designed for Child Protection Services (CPS) caseworkers to help them understand the importance of and to effectively engage fathers in the responsibilities of assisting their children to be safe, healthy. It contains useful information for all home visitors wanting to engage fathers.

Research and Information about the Benefits of Home Visiting Programs

• The Benefits and Financing of Home Visiting Programs
  This issue brief from the NGA Center for Best Practices describes some of the long term benefits of home visiting programs, including reduced costs due to foster care placements, hospitalizations and emergency room visits, unintended pregnancies, and other interventions. It also discusses federal funding streams are available to support home visiting, including: Medicaid, the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), the Title V Maternal and Child Health Services Block Grant (Title V), and Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF).
• Home Visitation: Assessing Progress, Managing Expectations
  This report was produced jointly by Chapin Hall and the Ounce of Prevention Fund. It reviews the evolution of home visitation programs and examines research that has been done to evaluate the effectiveness of these programs in improving the lives of young children. It also discusses improvements that have been made to home visitation programs and expectations for such programs in the future.
• A Family Perspective on Home Visiting Programs (PDF: 160kb)
  This paper discusses the history of home visiting programs, their implementation, policies that have arisen from the home visiting model, and the impact of these programs on families.
• Evaluating Home Visiting Programs: A Focus on Parenting and Family Strengths Outcomes (PDF: 55kb)
  This paper from the Children, Youth and Families Education and Research Network discusses the methodology used to evaluate "Family Friends", a home visiting program that targets high need areas in New York. Evaluation results indicated that 100% of the infants in the program received immunizations according to their doctors’ recommendations; 100% of the Family Friends parents demonstrated positive change in the area of nurturing their children; 91% demonstrated increased home safety; 85% demonstrated improved knowledge of child development; and 96% realized positive impact in the area of nutrition